The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-03-03

aDTOda nave Known IuutlIS1S VI young
American girls who have come to Eu-
rope to study singing. Three of the
number achieved a positive and durable
success-namely, Marie Van Zant, Emma
Nevada and Ella Russell. OF the rest,
some few are making precariOus liv-
ing, i'll paid, working hard, Kissed in one
Italian town if applauded in another.
Others have gone home, tired out with
the effort to gain a fOOthOld where the
ranks are already OvercrOWded, and have
settled down to teaching or to choir sing
ing A well known American baritone
once told me that when he was on con
cert tour through the west, there was
scarcely a town to which the troupe
came in which he did not fall in with
some young girl, speaking Italian adj
mirably and singing with skill and
finish, the pupil of some one of the great
teachers of Europe, who had made her
debut in some one or other of the pretty
cities of Italy, and had then drifted home,
unable to achieve anything further.
Such cases are the rule and not the eX-
ceptiOn. The exceptional instances are
those of the successful singers of the
day.
The American girl who pictures to
herself a beautiful vista OF trlumphs on
the lyric stage of Italy, to be won when
in a baseless vision. Italian opera, even
in Italy, is practically defunct There is
not one of the great Italian cities that
has a permanent resident opera com
pany, as Paris has for French opera, and
Vienna. Berlin, Dresden, Munich, etc,
for German AS in New York, London
aud St Petersburg, Italian opera in
~Cme, Naples, Milan and Florence has
lgitive and preCariOuS existence.
W months at the carnival season, or a
ef series of representations to bring
1t some one special work, form all the
JpOrtunities vOuchsafed in this time TO
z lovers Of music in the great cities of
aIy And the field thus limited is i'm
euseIy overCrowded. The number Of
merican girls now waiting in Milan for
| opportunity to appear in opera has
zen stated to be 5000. This is probably
exaggeratiOn, but there are certainly
me hundreds of them. Now and then
American singer makes her debut at
me such grand artistic center as ImOla
Ravenna or TortOIa or ROvigO, and
GREATER is heard of never more
But if it is hard to win fame and artistic
Gccess on the Italian lyric boards, it is
i'll harder to make any money. In
ct, the one idea of the Italian impress
IL and the Italian operate agent is to
tort every penny possible out OF the
reign aSpirants for a musical career
ne mOdus operandi is generally as fol-
Jows: The young embryo prima donna is
gagged with the stipulation that she is
"a. receive no salary, the privilege of
aking her debut being considered a
Efficient compensation. Usually an at
mpt is made to eXtOrt one, or two, or
1ree hundred dollars in addition, but if
le singer and her friends and guar
ans resist, a smaller amount, nOminaly
the hire of the orchestral score of the
Jera in which she is to appear, is de-
anded She must furnish her own cos
mes as a matter of course. Then the
fOrus demands pOurbOire of some so
be distributed among them. If this is
fused their friends will crowd into
upper gallery and will hiss the de-
Itante without mercy.
At last all matters are arranged. All
.mands have been acceded to, and the
merican girl makes her debut. She is,
2 will say, young and pretty, has a
easing and well trained voice and acts
ell She makes an instantaneous and
CROUCH success. She sings for two or
tree nights, and then arrives the i'm
'esariO with fresh series of demands
hundred dollars for this, three hundred
that. etc. Flushed With success, and
carried with these continued demands,
)sjtive refusal. On the occasion of her
-Xt appearance she is driven from the
age by a storm of boots and Kisses.
mother prima donna is engaged in her
ace. Before the new conner makes her
DpcaranCc the impreSariO again goes to
I- American girl. PAY me what /
-b.d aud your rival shall be Kissed and
1u shall be triumphantly reinstated."
-u8lv our young cOuntrywoman either
Is not the funds on hand or retires from
ne contest, weEried, heartsick and dis
.url1cd
The following incident took place not
ing ago IN Italy. An opera company
as formed by a certain agent and sent
spain. The impresariO telegraphed
DIP prima donna of note and experience
D. be engaged. to appear in one prominent
hsraater The lady was engaged, the
Jntract was signed and she took her de
arturo to join the troupe. Then the
gent goes to young Russian singer, who
known to have money. What will
Ju pay me- he asks. to have Mile. X.
Used on the night of her first appear
nee. and be summoned to take her
lace" Five thousand francs 81. 900,
s. the reply. Very good: it shall be
lone" II was done as arranged, the
uf pOcketing $500 and the impresario
ta.>ug the other half Of the sum as d COM
peu-Itjou for causing the failure of the
artistic he had himself engaged.
The Italian operate agents are. in
fact veritable bIoodsucIers. No sooner
does an American singer make her ap-
pegrauce in Italy with view Of obtain
ing an engagement than down they de
Scead upon her in swarms like so many
hungry mosquitoes If She possesses
500 there viii be SEQ greedy cormOrants
after it. Their demands are not limited
TO IA percentage or even a share in the
future salary; they require to be paid
beforehand in amounts from $50 to S1OO.
according to the Importance of the en-
garement. If the American girl is Door,
or for any other reason refuses to paw
over her cash freely, she may as well
pack her trunks and depart forthwith
from Italy, for she viii never obtain an
engagement. Her name will be passed
from one to the other of the agents as
that of a person that there is no profit
out of. till the whole tribe throughout
the country becomes interested in never
letting her appear in public. A year or
two ago a young American lady, possess
ing a beautiful contralto voice through
the good Offices of her teacher obtained
hearing in one of the small towns of
Italy. and met with great success. But
owing TO her poverty, she was unable to
fee the agents, and till the last few weeks
she was unable to procure an engage
L. 1.,rf he,